Slam poetry contests this month to place Maricopa in spotlight

If you rhyme, if you rap, if you have strong opinions, if you have quiet insight, if you just have something to get off your chest, slam poetry might be for you.

After an introductory event hosted by slam master Bernard “The Klute” Schober and a tryout with a kids slam, the first All-Maricopa Poetry Slam is slated for Jan. 13 at Honeycutt Coffee.

That will lead to the Southwest Regional Slam, hosted by The Duke at Rancho El Dorado on Jan. 28.

“These are both first-ever events for Maricopa,” said Judith Zaimont, a Maricopa Arts Council director.

The All-Maricopa Slam is open to adults and high-school age poets. The slam will follow standard rules, with no props or costumes allowed. Judges will be chosen from the audience, and high and low scores will be thrown out. Content does not have to be G-rated.

Honeycutt Coffee will open at 5:30. Registration is at 6 p.m. Only the first 14 poets to sign up will perform. There will be three elimination rounds to get down to the top five poets. The top three will get slots in the Southwest Regional Slam while the other two “sorbet” poets will get to perform a poem at intermission.

The regional slam has cash prizes at stake. Participating poets must sign in at The Duke by 7 p.m. The regional slam, too, will be in three elimination rounds. Poets must register their intent to enter by Jan. 14 via the event Facebook page: Southwest Regional Slam (brought to you by “Got Arts? Maricopa). They must also send their intent notice to Schober at [email protected]. Names of competitors will be chosen Jan. 15 live on Facebook.

Zaimont said MAC sees the Southwest Regional Slam as an opportunity “for Maricopa to show its best face to the outside world.”

It will bring in poets from Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Albuquerque and other areas.

The slams are part of MAC’s “Got Arts, Maricopa” ongoing expo.

If You Go
What:            All-Maricopa Poetry Slam                Southwest Regional Slam
When:           Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m.                               Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
Where:         Honeycutt Coffee                              The Duke at Rancho El Dorado
44400 W. Honeycutt Road, #109    42660 W. Rancho El Dorado Parkway
How much:   Free                                                     Free
Info:               [email protected]             [email protected]

---

This story appears in the January issue of InMaricopa.